Supporting local businesses is all well and good, but a living-local lifestyle is about more than just reconsidering where your dollars go. It’s also about reconnecting with your community and finding new ways to engage with other people in the area. Like many people in the area, I’m not strongly tied to Burke, where I live, but instead flit frequently to wherever cool stuff seems to be going on. And there’s always something going on, which is lucky – we live in such an active area that within fifteen miles, something interesting is bound to be happening. With my tight budget I can’t splurge …

I can finally check “find bread” off my living local to-do list. For now, at least. Great Harvest Bread Company is a fairly sprawling franchise, and so it sat initially out of my realm of consideration. But since I had been having a hard time finding local bread in a storefront and friends kept recommending it to me, I eventually gave in a decided to do some research. I’m glad that I did. Though still not my mom-and-pop ideal, the company seems to run a very different sort of franchise, if the sweet talk on their site is to be believed. They're not cookie-cutter based; each franchise really …

I decided on a whim to watch all of the Oscar-nominated animated films this year, since I have a soft spot for them. Watching movies is an easy thing to do, right? Go to a chain theater if it’s new, or click through Netflix if it’s older. Or stop by a RedBox, one of my favorite ways to pick up recent DVDs on a whim. But with all of the usual options crossed resolutely off my list, finding movies required a new approach. Two films were on my list: How to Train Your Dragon, and L'illusionniste. I knew getting a hold of How to Train Your Dragon would be the bigger challenge, since it was …

I’m over a month into my new year’s resolution, and I’m beginning to become a bit disillusioned with my choice to go local. Here are three disheartening things I’ve learned this month: 1.     Local stuff is expensive. Seriously, a half-gallon of whole milk and an approximately 8 oz block of Colby jack cheese cost over $12.00 during my last run to the market. I’m a girl with a car payment and rent to take care of each month, and only a few part-time jobs to get by on. I don’t have a lot of cash to throw around and as a result I’m spending the same amount of money on things as I used to and …

During the summer, farmers markets are packed filled with families ready to get their fill of fresh produce. The winter market scene is a better kept secret; in January, the markets are much smaller but still full of life. It was only 17 degrees outside when my roommate and I arrived at the Oakton market on Saturday morning. Despite the bitter cold, people were gathered in the parking lot of Unity of Fairfax Church as they are every Saturday morning, ready to buy and sell fresh fruits, vegetables and other prepared delicacies. One of the things I love about farmers markets is that you can try…

I have just returned to Burke after ringing in the New Year in the northeast states of America on a concert tour with my friends. Having informed them of my new quest to go local, my tour mates happily indulged my requests to avoid chains as much as possible. Thanks to this resolution, we ate at a whole host of different locally owned and operated restaurants and explored a variety of neat shops. Some highlights include: amazing wood-fired flatbread pizzas with local cheeses, and a visit to a glass-blowing pipe shop in Burlington, VT; a Greek-influenced family restaurant founded by two …

My friend Devon Bennett received a present this year she was absolutely thrilled with: a Snow White wallet from the Disney Couture line. Her boyfriend had ordered it from the Disney Store online, and it seemed like the perfect gift. That is, until they noticed a small warning sticker slapped on to a label that came with the clutch. “Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. This product is not intended for children.” This tells me a few things: first, that nobody should be selling this item. Not …

It's a new year, which means it's time to make resolutions! You know, those vague promises you make to yourself for self-betterment that you will be avoiding within two months. Everyone makes them, but only a few people stick them out. I'm hoping this year to be one of the successful ones. In my experience, the best resolutions are the ones that challenge and interest you. Planning on losing weight in 2011 is a vague, unfocused goal; planning to incorporate one vegetable into each meal in 2011 is a far more interesting concept that may hold your attention a bit longer. And so my goal is this…